The Act of Warmongering
by FooFooCudlyPoops
Summary: It's alot tougher than it sounds, especialy when your dealing with the gods of Mount Olympus. An adventure story between a girl and a deity. Please give it a try! Reviews & Flames Oh I guess.. are happily welcomed! Rated T for now.
1. Chapter One

He was standing over her like a monster, wild and frightening with his blood stained armor and sword. Alleyla screamed and held her shield above her head in one last feeble attempt to save herself from the bloodthirsty berserker. With one downward slash of his sword the screaming stopped, and my cousin lay on the ground, lifeless and bloody. It took him two seconds to recover and he looked up directly into my eyes. They were sapphire blue and catlike, staring at me with a vicious rage I could only describe as war.

In a heartbeat I was up off my knees and dashing out of my hiding place, bursting through the back door and to the woods behind our house. I heard the door slam behind me and knew he was chasing me. My heart beat quicker and my mind fogged with fear. I didn't want to die; _not yet, not now. _My long dark brown hair trailed behind me as I ran, whipping me face as I ran for my life.

I cut in between the trees, trying to lose him in the thick brush, but I could still hear him behind me, getting closer and closer with each breath I took. My lungs began to burn and my throat felt impossibly dry. I couldn't go on for much longer, not without stopping. With one final burst of speed I burst through the trees and onto the rocky cliffs. The sea air coursed through my lungs, giving me extra speed, and I skillfully jumped from rock to rock, trying to pull out all the stops to lose this warrior.

With the sea air rushing past me I could not longer hear his footfalls behind me but I dared not look in fear that I would fall, or his remaining presence would frighten me into that muddled state of unclear fear. I ran and ran until finally with one great spasm of my chest my body protested and I fell to the ground in agony. My eyesight grew dark and I took in deep painful breaths, willing myself not to fall into unconsciousness. Then suddenly I could hear him, barely breathing hard with footsteps light as rain he stopped beside me. I hear the unsheathing of a sword and in my blind panic ripped the dagger I had tied to my belt from its sheath and slashed wildly around me. I got in one lucky shot as my sight cleared and brightened before I saw a leg come down and pin my wild hand down painfully. With my other hand still clutching my spasming chest I saw death ahead of me, and did not struggle. I looked straight up into the setting sky above me, attempting to show one last act of defiance before I joined my family in the afterlife.

"Why do you no longer struggle, little one?"

My eyes chanced a look to my right and I found myself staring up at a blood covered, blond hair, blue-eyed man with sun tanned skin that gave off a strange glow. I felt my eyes grow wide at the sight of him. He couldn't have seen anymore than twenty summers but had the body structure of a warrior seasoned well beyond his years. A scar ran from his temple to his bicep and in his hands he held a long silver sword pointed at my neck. He had a smirk across his face and his eyes shone with an inquisitive malice.

Once I had regained my voice I spoke up to him defiantly. "You have taken my family and my village. I should not be afraid to die if it means I will be with them once again."

He looked me square in the eyes and 'hmm-ed', rolling his foot on my sore wrist. "Then why did you run from me back in the village instead of letting me cut you down where you stood?"

"A sore moment of impulse." I replied curtly, looking from his sword to his face and back again.

He moved his sword away from my neck and batted at the dagger I still gripped in my hand with it. "A strange one you are…" He lifted his foot from my arm and instantly I pulled it back to me, leaving the dagger where it lay. There was already an angry blue mark settling on my tan skin and I cursed the pain. "You don't seem a warrior like the rest of your people."

When I didn't reply his eyebrows furrowed and he batted me twice on the shoulder with the blunt edge of his sword. "Is it that you are no good?"

This moment of strange compassion confused me and I wondered why he hadn't slit my throat yet and gone off to pillage. "Why haven't you killed me?"

Seemingly unfazed by my question he took a few steps backwards and sheathed his sword. "Surprisingly you seem… Unworthy of death by my sword. I kill warriors and thieves, not house makers and children." With that he turned his back to me and began walking away.

I pulled myself up into a sitting position and looked at me back, thoroughly stunned. "You're just going to _leave me here?"_

The warrior lifted up a hand as he walked, no longer interested in my death. "Seems like you're going to have to wait a while longer to see your family."

A sudden wave of fury surged over me and I stood, picking my dagger in my unbruised hand as I rose. "I will see my family yet." I whispered to myself.

I took off after the warrior, who had disappeared back into the woods by now. I ignored the fierce pain in my chest and followed the footsteps in the dirt. Seconds later I saw his back as he nonchalantly drifted through the trees on his way back to the village. I took two long strides and then was upon him, yelling and swiping towards his neck. In a moment he turned and sidestepped my attack. In one long stride his arms swung out and knocked the dagger from my hand. In that second of clear headedness I saw his other arm come up towards my head, and felt the bruising blow as he backhanded me across the face.

All I knew after that was darkness.


	2. Chapter Two

-Sorry these chapters are so short! I've forgotten that they got from being like 2 pages to 1 1/2 once transferred to FanFiction… I tried try to make this one longer than the first. -It's 3 pages longer but now that I'm looking at it it seems hopelessly short. But hopefully I'll have a beta-reader soon to help me out! Woo! I'm just too excited to wait so I decided to update… Haha. Anyways, enjoy! Please R&R!

I apologize if it seems to be going slow at first! I'm planning on some super cool stuff happening soon, I promise! In the next chapter we should be getting more into the plot!

Oh! Before I forget! -

Thank you to my first reviewer The-Violet-Hour! :D I squealed like a kid in a candy store when I opened my email and saw those two messages sitting there. I hope you enjoy this story!-

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I woke in a small, dark tent with a yawn that popped my jaw and sent stabs of pain through my skull. Grumpy and now fully awake I nudged myself into a sitting position and found that my hands had been tied in front of me with rope, and upon touching my face found that a nice painful swell had arose over night. Grumbling I tried yanking my hands out of the rope to no avail. I brushed some dried blood from my cheek and was surprised that he'd hit me hard enough to draw blood. Then again he'd hit me hard enough to knock me unconscious.

"Where is he?" I mumbled to myself and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

A few moments later as I crawled along the ground, trying to sneak a peak under the tent flaps to see as to who was outside, I heard a loud cough and turned around to see the same glowing, smirking bastard as before tapping his foot at me with hands on his hips. "Done sneaking?" He asked as I quickly tried to regain my composure.

"I wasn't _sneaking_." I replied as I fought the urge to yawn.

He took a step forward and my heart skipped a beat. "Get up."

I sat still, staring into his eyes- which had turned an interesting shade of sky blue, and glared.

He took another step forward. "Get _up._"

"I refuse." I blurted out before I could stop myself.

In a second he was across the tent and jerking me up onto my feet by grabbing the sort of handle that my hands made by being tied together. "Don't get smart with me." He threatened, and walked behind me and pushed me roughly out of the tent.

I glared and sulked quietly to myself as we stepped out into the early morning sun and the chilly air sent goose bumps running over my exposed skin. There were three more tents set around a still burning campfire, and three men of different sizes were bustling around, packing up camp. They stared as the bipolar warrior sat me down on a small piece of wood near the fire and shoved a wooden bowl into my hands.

"Eat" he said, and began to walk away.

I looked down at the bowl, then up at the fire, then rolled my eyes and turned around to the retreating man. "I can't feed myself with my hands tied!" I yelled after him.

"Drink it from the bowl!" He yelled back, and disappeared into the tent.

I grimaced as I turned back to the bowl, bringing it up to my nose and sniffing it. It didn't smell too bad, only like wheat and some spices mixed together into a gooey brown mush, so I hesitantly raised the bowl to my lips and took a drink. Surprised I took another, and another gulping it down until I could get nothing else from the bowl. It tasted like honey, cinnamon and oats and had the consistency of the diced vegetable soup my mother used to make; thick and stick-to-your-rib-ish.

I didn't know where to put the bowl so I set it down next to my feet and watched the rest of the camp. They went to and fro, packing and rolling up mats and tying cookware. One of them, a raven haired man with green eyes and freckles on his strong face walked by me with a folded up tent on his shoulder and winked. I blushed and looked down, pretending to play with my tunic.

Another walked by with a bundle of hay, avoiding eye contact with me. I studied his tall, curvy figure and long brown hair and realized that _he_ was actually a _she _with slightly more manly features_._ I followed her with my eyes and watched as she set the hay down in front of four horses, spreading it out evenly between them before giving a white one with brown socks a pat on the nose. I continued watching her, admiring the lack of rope around her wrists as she walked back over to the last camper, a stout man with brown curly hair and immense masses of eyelashes. They talked for a moment before each grabbing a pack and walking back to the horses to load them.

This time the strange girl and I made eye contact and she looked away, apparently shy. Behind me I heard two voices pick up, one the warrior who had brought me here, and the other I guessed was the other beautiful looking green eyed man who never returned to my field of vision. My ears twitched and I cocked my head to the side.

"Nice one you've got there. Picked her up from the raid, did you?" Said the green eyed man.

"I don't believe it's any of your business, Euripholes." Replied the warrior curtly.

"But you brought her into camp!" Said Euripholes in what sounded like mock exasperation. "She looks much too young to bed… Unless you like them that way, Darius?"

"Hold your tongue, swine, or else someday I might get the sense enough to cut it off." Darius answered briskly.

There were a few creaks and the sound of wood slamming on wood before Euripholes spoke again. "As you wish, son of Zeus." Euripholes then walked past me to his horse and mounted in one swift movement. "Come, brothers! We must be at Thebes gate by sun down!"

He cast a sideways look at me before turning his horse and setting off at a canter towards the east. Darius was at my side a few seconds later with the tent rolled up on his shoulder. He had a fierce look on his face, and didn't look down at me as he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up with him. I stood by his horse, a massive golden beast with feathered hooves and brown eyes, as he attempted to tie the tent to its rump.

Finally with a curse he threw the tent off into the bushes, startling both me and the horse. I stared with wide eyes as he came around the other side and stood by me. From this point I could plainly see that he was a least a two heads taller than me, as my forehead only reached the middle of his chest. His breath tickled my face as he looked down at me and he put an arm around the back of the horse.

"Have you ever ridden before?" He asked, seemingly back in control of his earlier frustration.

I nodded my head. And he knelt down and laced his fingers together as a step. "Get up then."

I stared at the back of his head, thoughts of kicking him in the face and running for my life made my pulse pound and finally I lifted my foot and placed it in his hands. _No sense making him shoot me down now_. I thought. _I'll have better luck once we reach Thebes. _

He hoisted me up as if I weighed nothing and in the blink of an eye was behind me. His arms were on either side of me, so I couldn't escape by _accidentally _rolling off the horse… _Not that I'd want to' _I thought as I looked down at the ground. It had to be at least a six foot fall and I wasn't willing to break every bone in my body for a small chance of freedom.

The other two riders took off after Euripholes and Darius kicked his horse into a rough gallop to catch up and I yelped and grabbed onto the horses mane. We rode for hours and hours, and when we finally stopped to rest the sun was high up in the sky. We were in a small wood with a creek they let the horses drink from. Darius led the horse up to the creek by the others and dismounted with his hands on my waist to keep me from bolting. He pulled me from the horse and set me down next to him, one hand wrapped tightly on my upper arm.

As my feet hit the ground my legs felt almost boneless and I collapsed, almost dragging Darius with me. He jerked on my arm. "Stand up."

I tried and tried again, but my legs wouldn't stay straight. "I can't." I croaked.

I heard Darius sigh and then with a yell I was in the air. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight. With one hand behind my back and the other under me knees he carried me to the area where the rest of the warriors were sitting. He set me down and then sat behind me on a rock, his legs spread out on either side of me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and kept my hands in my lap and my eyes down.

"So what is your name, girl?"

I looked up at the stout man who was staring at me with brown eyes under his long eyelashes.

"My name is Lykaios." I replied as I studied him.

"Wolf?" Euripholes asked, referring to the meaning of my name.

"It's a long story I'd much rather not get into." I fidgeted under his intense gaze.

"You do not look like a wolf," Euripholes began. "Are you a werewolf, perhaps? You keep human form until a full moon and then you run off and hunt on human flesh?"

I turned to look at the babbling man as if he were insane. "My ears twitch when I listen to people talk, I have abnormally sharp canine teeth and I don't sleep on nights of the full moon."

Euripholes went silent, and the man who had addressed me first burst into laughter. "You're a quick one." He said between chuckles. "My name is Eusebio, and this is my sister Galen." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the woman who I'd originally thought to be a man and she smiled at me.

I felt Darius shift behind me and I turned to look at him. He was on his feet and glaring quite menacingly at Eusebio. "If you're done socializing I propose we continue on." He looked down at me and gave a quick nod before walking off towards his horse.

I sat on the ground staring at his back, and would have stayed that way until Galen appeared by my side and offered a hand. "I believe he meant for you to go with him."

I looked form her face to her hand and then took it, grateful that I wouldn't have to embarrass myself trying to stand with my hands tied and legs still half boneless. "I wish to hit him on the head with a very large rock." I mumbled, and was surprised when Galen laughed, steadying me on my shaky legs.

"On occasion so do I." She whispered with a smile.

"But Darius! We've only just stopped. Can't we rest a moment longer?" Called Euripholes from his seat on a fallen log, cutting off anything else Galen and I would have said.

"The faster we reach Thebes the longer you can rest in a bed with fine ale. You may stay here if you wish, but I ride to the city." Darius yelled back, then looked at me as if I were a dog. "Come."

My eyes fell to slits as I glared at him. "A very, _very_ large rock." I left Galen who was giggling to herself and walked over to him, noting how he stared me down.

He once again laced his fingers together and once again I stepped up and swung myself onto the horses back. He sat behind me and I dreaded the long ride ahead. I sunk my fingers into the horses golden mane and Darius turned him around to face the others. Galen was already atop her white steed, and Euripholes and Eusebio were mounting theirs, swinging their legs over the horses back with a practiced ease.

Darius waited a moment, as if he was expecting something to occur, and then Euripholes spoke out. "Lead the way, god child."

I could feel the intensity of the moment, _a man thing_, I decided, as Darius and Euripholes stared at one another. Then in an instant it was over and without so much as another word Darius turned his horse and kicked him into a wild gallop.

After a few moments I could no longer take the nagging voice in my head and turned my neck towards the rider behind me. "What did he mean by god child?" I asked over the wind.

Darius glanced down at me quickly. "Nothing," he said. "He meant nothing."

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So, did you like it? Yes, no? Was it a good length this time? -Oh, wow. That's what she said XD -

Sorry, haha. I had a moment of maturity lapse.

Hey, you know that little button down there with the green lettering? Click it- and I promise good things will happen. -puts hand over heart- I swear, man. Good things... Good things.


	3. Chapter Three

I know you all hate A/N at the beginning of chapters so I'll make this short. I'm very appalled at myself for putting this chapter off for so long- It's been sitting on my desktop for the past, what?, two months? I thought that with me going on summer vacation I'd have hours and hours to write all I wanted, but apparently everybody chose _this _summer to decide to hang out with me (not that I'm complaining!). So hopefully I can get back to writing soon because everyone's going off to camp and/or taking summer classes at Palomar (like I should be doing -_-).

Sorry if this chapter seems rushed... It's four in the morning and I wanted to get this done before I hibernated for a week after going to the Eclipse premire. I'm not a 'stay up all night to see a movie I could see a week from now at a reasonable time and then come home at four in the morning' type of person. :|

PS! Thank you wonderful reviewers! I love you and you are the reason I get off my lazy arse to write because I'm filled with guilt about not updating! Hugs and kisses to all of you!

Enjoy!

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I awoke to the sound of a door slamming and heavy footsteps. "What am I supposed to do with her?" I heard a voice say.

"I don't know," the other voice snapped back. "Wash her or something, she smells terrible."

I growled in the back of my throat. They were talking about me.

"Oh, lovely, now you've woken her up. Shoo, shoo! Go down and eat and I'll fix her up."

The other person scoffed and I heard the creaking of a door. "I was planning on doing that whether you agreed to take care of her or not, woman." And then the door slammed again.

There was a 'cluck-cluck' and then I felt hands running over my arms and my face. "Well, he was right, dear… you do smell awfully ripe."

I scrunched my eyebrows, eyes still closed. "Say now…" I mumbled through the cotton in my mouth, offended.

I cracked my eyes open and as my vision came into focus I met the gentle crinkled eyes of an old woman. She stood over me smiling, skin wrinkly but with a healthy pink glow and gray hair bundled up onto the top of her head. She took my hand and patted it.

"I mean no offense, of course."

For some reason I felt graced by her presence and by her smiling face. Before I meant to I was smiling back at her. "Of course… none taken."

She began pulling me up and I shifted so my legs were hanging over the side of the bed. Then stopped, confused. "Where am I?" I asked, suddenly very wary. I noticed with relief that my hands were no longer tied, but where the rope had rubbed against my skin there were now angry looking red bracelets of inflamed flesh. I rubbed them gently and looked back up at the woman as she spoke.

"In the Good Man's Inn in Thebes." Said the woman, surprising me by pulling me up onto my feet. She began to lead me into a smaller room connected by an archway where she sat me down on a stool and began pumping water into a large basin.

I stood right back up and took the pump from her frail looking arms, still intent on minding my manners, and began to pump the warm water. "How long have I been here?"

She smiled and watched me work, patting her forehead with the back of her hand as the room began to warm up. "Your company arrived only a few moments before you woke." She sat down on the stool and fanned herself. "Lovely bunch of men they are." She said, and I did a double take. Only when I saw the look on her face did I begin pumping the water again- she was being sarcastic.

I water had almost filled the basin and I stopped pumping, resting my arms for a moment. "Quite." I said tartly.

The old woman chuckled and, seeing that I was done, hobbled over to me and began undressing me, much to my inner horror. I was terribly self-conscious of myself, and even the thought of being seen by an elderly woman made me shy back and run for cover. But I stood and let her, and she took my tunic in her arms and clucked again, shaking her head.

"I'll have to patch this up." She turned and went for the archway to the other room. "Please take your time bathing, there are soaps and salts on the table. Ring the bell in the bedroom if you need any thing else." She smiled and backed out into the bedroom and out of view.

I stepped into the tub and melted into the water with a contented sigh. I must have sat for ten minutes, letting the water settle over me, small waves rolling from one end of the tub to the other before I reached over to get to work.

I took a handful of the salts, sniffed them, and then smeared the jasmine smelling rocks on my head. I began to rub them in, enjoying the feeling of the dirt falling from my head. I dunked my head under the water and then continued to scrub my hair from the roots to the tips until it shone. Then I took the bar of soap, and after inspecting it found that it smelled of sweet cream, and began to lather it onto my skin. There was a washcloth on the table too, and I took that and scrubbed myself until my brown skin began turning red. Then I dunked my whole body under the water and splashed out of the tub, bringing about half the water with me onto the floor by my feet.

I had my back to the archway and didn't even notice the presence behind me until said person exclaimed loudly.

I squealed and spun around, grabbing a towel off the table and wrapping it around me as quickly as I could.

Galen stood in the archway, a blush red as roses across her face and a hand over her eyes. "I-I'm sorry!" She said, clearly just as embarrassed as I was. "I thought you had a towel on and I didn't think to knock-"

"It's alright, you just surprised me is all…" I mumbled, cutting off her long and increasingly awkward apology. I was just glad it wasn't one of the men.

"Sorry." She said meekly, and tilted her head to the side slightly. "Can I, um, open my eyes now?"

I smiled and wrapped the towel more tightly around me, "yes."

Galen removed her hand from her face and smiled sweetly back at me. "I brought you some dinner."

My stomach rumbled. "Really?"

She laughed and flipped her hair over one shoulder. "Yes, it's on the bed."

I had to restrain myself from throwing the towel over my shoulder and sprinting out to the bedroom to eat. I didn't realize how hungry I really was until I walked out into the bedroom, with Galen trailing me, and saw the tray of steaming meat and vegetables.

I looked back a Galen for permission and she nodded her head. "Go ahead."

I sat down on the bed and began to eat the food. In about ten minutes I was done, and my stomach felt like a rock in my body. But I was full, and therefore content. I put the tray back down and sighed, smiling up at Galen. "_Thank_ you."

She smiled, "of course."

There was silence in the room again and I folded my hands over my lap. "Oh!" I looked up at Galen who was just beginning to settle down on the other end of the bed. "I'm in need of some clothing… Do you have anything I could wear?"

Galen stood back up and nodded. "Sure, they're only shirts, though. They'll cover you but not as much as your dress… Is that fine?"

I crinkled my forehead. _'She thinks my drapery is a dress?' _There was barely enough fabric on my tunic to be a _tunic_, much less a dress. "Um, yes, thank you, that will be fine." I looked at the shirt she was wearing. It was short.. Very short, but I could handle it. Plus she had tied it artfully with a lavender colored belt. I'd have to ask her if she had any more.

She went to a closet I hadn't noticed before and pulled her pack from it. She brought it over to the bed and began digging through it. Finally with a victorious smug she pulled out a sand colored shirt and before I had to ask, another belt like hers, only dark blue. "Here you are," she said, handing me the clothes.

I thanked her and walked to the bathroom to change. I dried my body off and brought the fabric to my face, smelling them first. They smelled like sweat and I wrinkled my nose but shrugged and thanked the gods that I even had something to wear.

I threw on the shirt, becoming concerned when, even with a lot of stretching, it only came down to the middle of my thigh. I tied the belt around my waist loosely so the fabric wouldn't ride up and used the towel to dry my hair. When I was done I walked back out into the bedroom.

Galen smiled as she looked me over. "A little short… But it looks very becoming on you."

I sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "I don't know how you wear this. Doesn't it… show? I mean, show your… well-"

Galen cut me off with a good-natured laugh and put one hand on top of mine. "You're not very good at conversing when you're flustered. I wear men's undergarments, because I work. I don't think you'll need them, Darius won't be making you work, least not very much."

The thought of wearing men's clothing was a bit disturbing to me, but to each his own. Before I could open my mouth to reply Galen began bombarding me with questions.

"Where are you from?" She asked, tilting her head to one side.

"A small village outside of Idku, on the cliffs of the ocean." I had a flash back of a few days ago when Darius first found me and winced.

Galen looked slightly ashamed and I assumed that she had a part in the destruction of my home. "Tell me about yourself- what we were talking about when we stopped to rest the other day."

I looked down at the bed and noticed that Galen's hand was still on top of mine. "My father told me that he and my mother were going through a horrible time. There was a pack of wolves that came into the village at night and destroyed everything. All our livestock was killed, they dug up our gardens and carried off anyone who was foolish enough to venture out at night. On the night I was born, so I am told, the wolves walked right up to our house and sat outside. My father said he was terrified that they knew my mother was giving birth and were waiting until I was born to storm into the house and gobble us all up. But he said they just sat there, with their backs turned to the house, like they were guarding it. And then he said when I was born they howled and howled like the moon was falling down.

My mother wanted to name me something that would protect me from evil because she thought I was going to be a wolf demon or some sort, but luckily my father was a writer, and therefore more poetically inclined, and decided to name me wolf."

Galen scrutinized me quietly. "And what about the ear twitch?"

"Just a weird quirk, I suppose. Same with the sleeplessness. It's just something about how bright the moon is when it's full. I like to watch it." I kept my eyes on her face, trying to see whether she believed me. It was a long shot- the story, even to me, sounded made up. I would call my father out as a liar if the whole town didn't vouch for him.

"Interesting…" she said, a smile replacing the tight look on her face. "You know, Lykaios, there are things that happen in this world that are relatively unexplainable. And usually the people those things happen to turn out to be great people."

I smiled. "So you're saying I could be great? That story's harder to believe than mine."

Her face twisted up and she gave me a look. "I can see it. You're going to be someone great. It's in your eyes."

I scoffed. "Oh stop it, you're flattering me."

We both laughed, and then the room was filled with silence. I was waiting for her to ask me another question, but the look on her face told me that she had something else on her mind.

"Lykaios… I think I should tell you something." Galen began, the tone in her voice had changed and I sensed that what she was about to say was important.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning closer to her.

"It's about your village, why Darius destroyed it." Her eyes shifted downwards and she wouldn't look at me. "He's a little weird. He came to Euripholes one day and told him not to ask questions, just to do as he said and he'd pay is all twice our weight in money. I was never officially told anything, but I heard bits and pieces of why they did it. I heard that Darius is trying to start a war of some sort. He's not human, Lykaios, and I don't know why he didn't kill you when he had the chance, but you need to be careful. Very, very careful-"

There was a great boom as the door was kicked open, and in the archway stood none other then Darius.

I shrunk back as I felt the anger roll of him. His eyes were narrowed into slits and were trained on Galen. There was a fierce aura surrounding him and I instantly felt sorry for Galen, whose eyes met his evenly, despite her hand that had begun to shake on top of mine.

"Galen" Darius spoke, voice ragged, "you need to leave now."

Galen squeezed my hand and stood, eyes still staring back into his, as she began walking towards him. I thought he was going to hit her, but he stepped aside and let her pass. I heard her footsteps go down the hall and down a flight of stairs, and then she was gone, and I was alone with the beast.

He stepped into the room, then, with a glint of something in his eyes that I couldn't catch he stepped back out into the hallway, doorknob in hand. His face turned into a sneer and he slammed the door closed.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding and clutched at my heart through the think fabric of Galen's shirt. I didn't know what had just happened, or what was going to happen, but I was glad that he hadn't stayed in the room with me.

I got up and walked into the bathroom, grabbing hold of the rope that the old maid servant had said would bring her to the room. I had a plan formulating in my head. _I have to get out of here. _

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So... I know there wasn't much Darius action in this chapter... but it's coming. Don't worry. :] As always, please review! Constructive criticism welcome (for those of you who have nothing nice to say..)(Totally just kidding... don't hate me...) xD


	4. Chapter Four

This chapter is pretty much inspired by the song Cry for You by September. "You'll never see me again, no matter what you do."

Finally, another chapter! It's longer than all the rest, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

And thank you to my reviewers and my 'Alerters' and everyone who's read this story /cough/ all _223 _of you /cough, cough/. x]

Enjoy!

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"Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded my head. I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life.

"Well then, Alastrina will be accompanying you," said Agatha, the elderly maid, as she finished packing some food into a brown leather pack.

Alastrina and I both did a double take.

"Pardon me?" She said, and by the tone in her voice I could tell she was near hysterics.

Only a few seconds after I rang the bell for her Agatha had appeared at the door, asking me if I knew that there was a footprint imprinted on the outside of the door. I told her about how I had been taken from my village and how I planned to escape, and she rushed down stairs and when she came back up she had Alastrina with her.

She was much smaller than me, fifteen to my seventeen, and seemed barely capable of holding a knife or a sword, much less being out in the wilderness without a dozen escorts. She had long wavy honey blond hair, skin like porcelain, blue eyes and freckles. And she had this bewildered way of looking up at you that made you want to hug her. … Or maybe that was just me.

"I don't want Lykaios going out alone… Anyways, you've always said you wanted to travel."

I cocked my head to the side, inspecting Agatha. I could practically hear what she was thinking. _I don't want you to stay here… There's nothing for you here. _

I looked to Alastrina as she tried to argue and be as polite as possible as to not offend me. She _was _too pretty to stay at a place like this without being hassled day in and day out. I could see why Agatha wanted her to go with me. _No grandmother would want to watch her grandchild grow up in a place like this._

"But Yia Yia…" Alastrina looked back at me guiltily, "I don't _want _to go with her!"

Agatha and I exchanged a look over her head. I shrugged my shoulders and tapped my foot. We were losing time.

Agatha looked back down at her granddaughter and sighed, eyes turning cold. "You have no say in the matter." And then she sniffed in a way that said '_and that's the end of that conversation.' _

Alastrina grew silent and folded her hands over her chest.

Agatha brought the two packs over to me and put one on my front and one on my back, then covered me in a cloth similar to the one she was wearing. "If you bend over and walk slowly they won't be able to tell you from me," she winked and pulled the cloth over my face.

"Where will you be?" I asked, adjusting the packs to make it look like I had a stomach and a hunch. "After you leave, where will you be?"

Agatha smiled and ran a hand through her gray hair, patting it back in the bun it was in. "I might disappear for a while until the storm had blown over."

"There's going to be a storm tonight?" Alastrina asked quietly.

I turned to look at her, "I think she meant all the trouble that's going to be going on here when they figure out I'm gone."

I looked back to Agatha just in time to see something flash in her eyes, "exactly right, dear."

There was a moment of silence, and I could tell I was standing in the middle of something. "I'll just, um, I'll just be waiting outside the door…" I said awkwardly, and walked out of the room.

I stood with my back to the wall and scuffed my feet on the ground. I could hear them mumbling inside the room, probably saying goodbye. I started to think about my family, about how _I _never got to say goodbye to them, but then I diminished the thought. _Not now, I can't think about this right now. _

I heard the door creak and looked up to see Alastrina wiping her eyes. She closed the door behind her and I gave her a small smile. She smiled back halfheartedly and her gaze dropped to the floor. I sighed and pulled the cloth down around my face. "Let's get this over with."

X

We were halfway down stairs when Alastrina grabbed my arm and wrapped it around hers. I looked at her questioningly and she patted my hand. "An old woman always needs help walking down stairs."

I nodded, forming an O with my mouth, and began to hunch over. We stepped out into the main part of the inn and I looked around, looking for him. At a table in the far corner I saw Euripholes and Eusebio drinking and laughing as Eusebio told a joke, and closer to the wall was Galen. I almost stopped dead. She was watching me, a curious glint in her eyes. She had her feet up on the table and her chair tilted back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. I looked away from her, feeling guilty about leaving her, and tilted my head up towards Alastrina as if I were talking to her.

She took my hint and patted my hand affectionately and steered me towards a swinging door. Once we were through I stood up, stretching out a kink in my back. Alastrina left me for a moment to go to a closet and pick out two cloaks. She threw one to me and I tugged off the packs and wrapped it around me. I followed her out another door and into the night. The wind was picking up and my legs turned to gooseflesh. I wrapped the cloak tighter around me and walked with Alastrina into, what smelled like, their stables.

As we walked I looked around at the animals. They had two cows, a pig and about twelve piglets, a mule, and then, as we came to the far end of the stable, I saw three horses. Two of them were giant black stallions and one was a strawberry brown mare.

"They're brothers," Alastrina said, walking into one of the boxes.

She motioned for me to do the same and I slipped in next to her. "This is Adrastos," she pointed to one of the brothers who was nuzzling her palm and then pointed to the other one who was standing off to the side, watching us with big eyes, "and that's Leodinas, you can ride him."

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "He's not going to _bite_ me, is he?"

Alastrina looked up at me with one eyebrow up. "Of course not… Why would you think he would?"

I looked back into the horses eyes warily. "It's a bit… _unsettling_ how he's watching me…"

Alastrina looked from me to Leodinas and sighed. She clucked a few times and he walked right up to me, breathing hot air in my face as he looked down at me. She took my hand and put it on his soft nose and he took a few deep breaths before stepping back and nudging my shoulder.

"See," she said, one hand on her hip and the other on Adrastos's back, "nothing to worry about."

I patted Leodinas a few times, watching his face. I guess not.

X

Before we were even out of Thebes it began to rain.

I hunched over on Leodinas's back, trying to make myself as small as possible to conserve warmth, and looked up at the sky, grumbling. "Thanks a lot, _Zeus._"

Lightning flew through the sky, and seconds after a booming thunderclap.

I kept my thoughts to myself after that.

Alastrina was a few paces behind me, quiet as a mouse besides the chattering of her teeth. I still felt bad for her having to come with me. It wasn't like I didn't appreciate the company, but the thought of not being able to get up and go on my own schedule and having to protect not just me and Leodinas but _her _and Adrastos. Not to mention I now had to hunt for two.

I looked back at her. The chattering of her teeth was beginning to interfere with my hearing.

"Alastrina!" I called over the storm.

She looked up at me and wiped at her nose.

I sighed and let my shoulders slump. We were going to have to stop and get dry or she would catch cold. "We're going to stop soon!" I yelled back to her, "as soon as were out of Thebes!" I wanted to put as much space between Darius and us as possible.

She nodded and went back to slouching on Adrastos. She practically curled up on his back as she bent over and wrapped her arms around his neck. The big horse snorted, nodding his head a little as another burst of light shot through the sky. It was interesting how unafraid they were. The rain didn't bother them, neither did the lightning or thunder. They were both big broad shouldered horses, something like warhorses, but extremely mild mannered.

I had woken up briefly on my trip into Thebes, just as we were passing in, and memorized the landmarks. A large boulder to the left side and a few rocks piled up like there was once a sign stuck into the ground. I kept my eyes peeled for them and finally, after another hour or two, we passed them.

Alastrina rode up next to me and pointed up ahead of us, "there's a large tree over there, off the trail. We can stop there."

I smiled; she was just about to burst off the saddle if we didn't stop.

I nodded and began leading Leodinas off the road. We reached the tree and Alastrina jumped off Adrastos and led him underneath the thick branches. I looked like it could keep us dry, but it was too close to the road. Anyone riding by would see us. My heart clenched. _He_ might be able to see us.

I sat tall on Leodinas's back, standing up in the stirrups to try and get a better look around.

"What are you doing?" Alastrina asked, worry on her face.

"I'll be right back," I said, nudging Leodinas into a walk. "Stay here."

As I began to walk away I heard her mumble "not like I have a choice…" I smiled.

I had this feeling… this odd feeling that was pulling me further and further away from the road and into the woods. It was like I was being willed into looking for something, and then as light tore through the sky I saw it. About fifteen meters away from the tree, in a densely packed ring of trees, was a small hut.

I looked up at the sky though the rain and smiled. "No hard feelings about earlier, eh?"

The only response I got back was the rumble of thunder.

X

Alastrina was already asleep, one arm wrapped around Adrastos's hoof and the other tucked under her. At first I had tried to move her, scared the giant horse would step on her, but when I walked over to move her he snorted and me and gave a look that pretty much told me he had it covered. Over the course of an hour he had moved all other feet except the one Alastrina was holding on to, and so I decided to leave them.

Leodinas stood on the other side of his brother, head handing low and swaying a bit with the wind. I couldn't figure out whether he liked me or not, and though it irked me I was glad he decided to stay near Adrastos. I didn't want him falling on top of me or _accidentally _stepping on me.

I shook my head and smiled, looking up into the sky. If the storm kept up we might have to stay put for another day. I laid down on my side and put my head on one of the packs as a makeshift pillow and closed my eyes. Every few minutes I light came in through my eyelids and thunder boomed, and it turned into a sort of soothing lullaby as my thoughts faded away.

X

When I woke up the next morning I hear Alastrina humming. I turned around and sat up, prying my eyes open.

She turned to me with a half a loaf of bread and offered it to me. "Hungry?"

I nodded and took it, nearly dropping it due to my slow working fingers. Alastrina dropped a water skin next to me as well, and then walked out of the hut with a bit of a spring in her step.

I frowned at her morning cheeriness and tore off a piece of bread with my teeth, shivering as a cold wind swept through the room. I sat cross-legged; pulling the tiny tunic down around my legs as far as it would go and ate my breakfast in silence.

The horses were no longer in the hut and I guessed that Alastrina was out with them as they grazed. After I finished I stood up and stretched, then walked out of the hut to find them.

The sky was no longer dark with rainclouds, but was still covered. A small drizzle fell from the sky, and mist lingered around the hut. I walked around the back and, sure enough, saw Alastrina with the horses. She was brushing Adrastos, humming that song and moving her feet like she was dancing.

I let out a laugh and she turned towards me, face red and embarrassed. "I'm sorry," I said, composing myself, "you just…"

She smirked, "yeah, I know."

I walked up to Leodinas and put my hand out toward him. He lifted his head off the ground, chewing on some grass, and took a couple steps toward me, nuzzling my hand. I smiled and patted him on the jaw.

"Where are we headed?" Alastrina asked as she went back to brushing Adrastos.

I began running my hands through Leodinas's hair as he ate. "I was thinking of going back to my village… It's just by Idku, about a days ride away."

Alastrina 'hummed. "And then what?"

The question caught me off guard. "I'm not… I'm not really sure."

"Well," she said, giving Adrastos a good look over, "I guess we'll just start there." She turned to head back to the hut and I turned with her. "Better be on our way."

X

It was a bit after noon when Alastrina pulled Adrastos off the road and into a small clearing. We were making good time so I had suggested that we stop for lunch. The sky had cleared up and I could feel myself burning from riding in the sun. As we entered the clearing I realized with a little jump that this was where we stopped when I was with Galen and Darius. I was instantly on guard.

"Alastrina?" I called.

She jumped off Adrastos and looked back at me, "yes?"

I swung off Leodinas. "Do you know how to fight?"

She shrugged and dug through the pack she was carrying, throwing me an apple and a piece of bread and then pulling the same for herself. "Adequately. I'm a lot better as an archer though."

I cocked an eyebrow as I took a bite out of the apple. "Archery?"

She nodded, leaning across Adastros's back. "Since I was little."

"Well do you have a bow and arrow?" I was nearly beaming at the idea of her being able to fend for herself if something went wrong and I wasn't there for her.

She scratched the back of her head, "mot exactfly," she said around a mouthful of bread.

I felt my eyebrow raise again. "What do you mean _not exactly_?"

She looked at me with those big blue eyes and turned her back, looking through the pack once again. When she turned around she had a wooden slingshot in her hands.

My face fell. "You're joking me, right?"

She swung it around a bit, scuffing her feet on the ground. "It's not as weak as you think it is…"

I sighed and gave the rest of my apple to Leodinas. "Can you _kill _something with it?"

Her eyes grew wide. "_Kill _something? As in… people?"

I nearly rolled my eyes. "Yes, _people_. Could you kill somebody with that? Maim, hurt, blind, you know."

She stayed silent and watched me with innocent eyes.

"If you were attacked, right now, could you protect yourself with that slingshot?"

She blinked slowly and looked down at the piece of wood in her hands. "… I guess. With a well aimed shot and a big enough rock."

_"I wish to hit him on the head with a very large rock." I mumbled._

_"On occasion so do I." Galen whispered with a smile._

I blinked out of my vision. That was… odd. I blinked again and looked back to Alastrina. She was waiting for me to speak.

"Um, right," I mumbled, tucking the piece of bread into my belt. "I'm going to pretend to attack you…" I said, walking backwards. "I want you to hit me on either my arms," I pointed to my upper arm, "or my back. So close your eyes and when you think you hear me open them."

Alastrina cocked an eyebrow but leaned down and picked up a few rocks. She straightened up, rolled her shoulders and closed her eyes.

I looked around for a moment, trying to figure out how I was going to get around her without making noise. Then I had an idea.

I moved over towards Leodinas and began pushing him forward. He looked back at me for a second and then began walking forward, his hooves covering the noise my feet were making. Alastrina moved a bit to the side, listening to him walk. I got all the way behind her without her opening her eyes. After a few moments I decided she was never going to hear me, so I bent down and picked up a stick. I turned, ready to run, and snapped the stick in half.

Before I had even gotten four feet away I felt six sharp pinches on my back. I yelped and spun around.

Alastrina was standing there, biting her lips, trying to keep away the smile that was creeping onto her face.

"Did you shoot all of those at the same time?" I whined, rubbing my stinging back.

Still biting her lip she shook her head side to side, but then her shoulders started shaking and she nodded her head, laughing. "I'm sorry," she said though giggles, "_you_ toldme to shoot…"

I rubbed my back, eyes narrowing at her. I felt the smile on my lips as I walked back towards Leodinas. "Yes, I know…"

X

The sky that night was eerily clear. It was sort of glossy and sparkly, and the wind continued to pick up. The full moon bathed everything in a white glow, making things seem peaceful.

We stopped in the woods just outside my village. I told Alastrina I didn't want to get too close, just in case, so we camped out under the stars.

I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them close to me.

I wonder where he is; if he was coming after me or not.

The wind picked up and I looked up at the moon, listening to the rustling of the leaves and Alastrina's slow breathing.

Probably not… I'm sure he has other things to worry about.

I thought back to what Galen told me the night I left. And then what Euripholes had said on the way to Thebes. _He's not human. God child. He's trying to start a war._ I clenched my fists. He destroyed my village. He killed my family, took me from my home. My eyes narrowed, what was he doing? Why a war?

And most importantly; why, if he had done all of these things to me, was I starting to _miss _him?

* * *

There's a name for that- Lykaios missing Darius. It's called Stockholm Syndrome. Although I don't believe she's been with him long enough to have it, but, oh well! -insert sneaky face here-

Anyways! Please review! I would appreciate it!

xOxO

FFCP


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